Shen Qiuxun crouched in front of the desk, pulling a small, thin piece of plastic from his pocket to place over his fingertip. His fingers traced around the safe’s edges, confirming there were no other alarm devices. He lowered his head, pressing close to the metal wall, and with one hand through the plastic, turned the rotary knob.
His eyes were always drooping listlessly, stray hair falling down to obscure his expression. His lips were slightly pursed, looking as calm and steady as if he were just eating or drinking. He was completely unfazed.
The System was just getting suspicious when a sudden electronic “beep-beep” sounded, and the safe clicked open.
【.】
Shen Qiuxun pulled his hand back, using his sleeve to grip the documents inside the safe. He found the section for employee files, carefully closed the safe again, stuffed the papers into his clothes, and walked out as bold as you please.
‘Not gonna lie, I actually had another identity in my past life.’
【What?】
Shen Qiuxun yawned again, his eyelashes trembling slightly, still damp from a tear that had just welled up. He drawled leisurely: ‘I was the world’s number one Master Thief. There was nothing I couldn’t steal. Do you know why the Yellow Emperor won the Battle of Zhuolu against Chiyou? Because I stole the deer.’
【Really?】
‘Of course it’s a lie. Zhuolu is a place name.’
【.】
After teasing the System, Shen Qiuxun folded his arms, ready to find a good spot to study the employee files. As luck would have it, he ran into Xu Zhiyuan delivering goods in the basement. Sweat soaked his hair, giving him a natural “stay away” aura. Who would’ve thought this guy, during his heat, would turn into a puppy marking its territory everywhere?
Lowering his head, Shen Qiuxun’s eyes darted around, searching for an escape route. He pretended not to see anything and was about to slip away.
“Hey.” Green Eyes still spotted him. The corner of his narrow eye lifted, and he beckoned with a wave.
Xu Zhiyuan had seen that Beta, the one with a crush on him, secretly watching him from afar. When he got closer, the Beta would shyly lower his head, not daring to even look at him. Was he really that scary?
Shen Qiuxun looked left and right, confirming the call was indeed for him. He tightened his arms to protect the documents in his shirt and feigned nonchalance. “What’s up?”
Because he felt guilty, his expression was a bit evasive, face blank, eyelids slightly lowered, eyelashes distinct.
Xu Zhiyuan saw the mole beneath the corner of his lip and, his mind drifting to some imagined scene, his ears went red. He averted his gaze, reached into the back pouch at his waist, and pulled out a bright red fruit, holding it out to him.
It was an apple. Shen Qiuxun blinked, then looked at Xu Zhiyuan hesitantly.
“…Cough, won it in a bet with a coworker. I don’t like sweets.” Xu Zhiyuan licked his lips, looking at the sky, the ground, anywhere but at the person in front of him.
‘He…’
【?】
‘He’s pretty loyal.’
【.】
Shen Qiuxun carefully took it. Afraid the documents inside his clothes would fall, he could only keep his elbow tucked in, holding the apple protectively against his chest. He glanced at the man cautiously, then quickly dropped his eyes, half of his face disappearing back into his scarf. “Oh… thank you.”
“Mhm.” Xu Zhiyuan rubbed his fingertips together. Watching him hold the apple so carefully against his heart, his lips couldn’t help but quirk upward. He just thought the red of the apple… made the Beta’s fingers look exceptionally attractive.
He seemed so unsophisticated, this happy over a single apple.
Shen Qiuxun fled with his head down, escaping through the back door. He found a secluded, deserted alley and, around the corner, opened the stack of documents. He searched for a long time before finally finding Xu Zhiyuan’s file.
He wiped the apple on his inner shirt and took a bite. The sweet juice filled his mouth, and he was so content his eyes squinted shut.
The System once again sensed a black cat’s tail wagging somewhere in the shadows. A single apple, and he was this easy to please.
He opened the two pages. In the upper left corner was a black-and-white ID photo taken from a deathly unflattering angle. The bottom-up angle highlighted the man’s sharp jawline, making his angular features even more prominent, a fierce air between his brows. He looked like a man who had just chopped down ten people and been released from prison.
Looking down… date of birth… ah?! This guy was only nineteen!
Was he raised on formula laced with melamine?! How could the gap between people be so huge?
Height 191cm, past experience… Interstellar Fugitive, Vice-Captain of the Star Pirates. Had single-handedly attacked a Federation border defense unit, had plenty of blood on his hands… had also killed an outpost politician for the Federation. It didn’t look like an employee file; it looked more like blackmail material. Shen Qiuxun flipped through it several times, finding nothing unusual.
In short, a super dangerous individual, terrifying. Was that apple a sign he was going to be silenced?
“…” Shen Qiuxun took a vicious bite of the apple to calm his nerves.
Think positive. At least the mission was still doable. Tomorrow would be another beautiful day!
Shen Qiuxun secretly returned the documents, then went home and crashed for a solid seven hours. When he groggily woke up, the sky was already pitch black. Just then, a crisp knock sounded in the quiet room.
Honestly, he had a bit of PTSD regarding that knocking sound. He was terrified of opening the door only to find Xu Zhiyuan crouched on the ground crying again, wailing for his wife and demanding kisses.
Mainly because the guy never remembered anything after waking up! He just took advantage and then denied it. Disdainful.
Shen Qiuxun got up and cautiously opened the door a crack, peering out with just one eye. He saw a wall. Shifting his gaze up, he met a pair of grass-green eyes.
He blinked and opened his mouth to ask: “Something up?”
Actually, from Xu Zhiyuan’s angle, he could see the few strands of bedhead sticking up from the top of his head, and the blanket bunched up in chaos behind him. So vigilant, so timid. In reality, with that little strength, even if Xu Zhiyuan really tried to force the door open, how could he possibly stop him?
“Got time? Help me apply some medicine.”
It was the normal Xu Zhiyuan. Shen Qiuxun gave a light cough and opened the door, his voice also very soft: “Ah.”
Xu Zhiyuan turned and walked to the table to sit down. Gauze, antiseptic, and other bottles and jars were laid out on the table. He looked seriously injured, like he’d just come back from killing someone.
Shen Qiuxun rubbed his hands together, closed the door, and followed him to the table. He was just studying what kind of medicine those bottles and jars held when suddenly, an arm moved through the air beside him, and the white vest was casually lifted off and placed on Xu Zhiyuan’s lap.
His silver hair was messy. His back muscles were excellent; the structure of bone and muscle followed perfect anatomical form. Scars crisscrossed his back, faintly hinting at the clashes of blades and flashes of sword-light behind them. A fresh wound stretched from his shoulder blade down below his scapula, the edges of the wound blurred and seemingly slightly charred, fresh red blood seeping out with the rise and fall of his breathing. It was a bit painful to look at.
Shen Qiuxun let out a breath. He reached for the antiseptic supplies, his gaze sweeping around. “Where are the cotton swabs?”
“Don’t have any.” Xu Zhiyuan’s voice was a bit low.
“…” Shen Qiuxun felt like he understood the implication. He unscrewed the bottle cap, placed his palm on a patch of unbroken skin on the shoulder to press his body down slightly, and poured the dark red anti-inflammatory liquid onto the wound.
The liquid bubbled with a string of small white fizz, a soft sizzling sound rising. The muscles on Xu Zhiyuan’s back tensed up. He lowered his head, a low grunt of pain escaping his throat.
After disinfection, he still had to apply the ointment. Face wooden, Shen Qiuxun even had time to yawn, but his hands didn’t slack one bit.
【What did you originally study in university?】
‘Management.’
【You seem quite proficient at applying medicine.】
‘I was a Red Cross volunteer.’
The wound was a burning, stinging, numbing itch, yet the temperature of those fingertips was cool, like cold jade.
Xu Zhiyuan found it a bit overwhelming and reminded him: “Don’t move your fingers around.”
“?” Shen Qiuxun looked at his own fingers. He wasn’t doing anything. He just treated it as someone talking nonsense. “Hey, how did you get hurt so badly? Get in a fight?”
【Expressing appropriate concern can more easily gain the mission target’s Favorability Value~】
“Yeah, someone hijacked the transport during the medicine shipment.”
Hijacked?
As if sensing his confusion, the man chuckled lightly: “You didn’t think our job was just moving medicine from the truck to the warehouse, that simple, right?”
“Wasn’t it?”
Xu Zhiyuan glanced back at him, meeting his clear, calm black pupils. He let out a long, theatrical sigh: “Of course not. Medicine is a scarce resource. How could it be delivered so simply? There are many tricks to this trade.”
“In recent years, the Federation has been chaotic, with multiple forces eyeing things covetously. Medicine, weapons, food, land… these are all good things. They’re fought over, with real guns and live ammo, paid for with human lives.”
After wiping on several types of medicinal ointment, wrapping gauze and tape around it meant the job was done.
Shen Qiuxun pondered for a moment: “War…?”
“Hm?” Xu Zhiyuan straightened his back, twisting his neck left and right. “Oh, right. It’s about to start. A lower planet like ours, once the shooting starts, no one will care.” He lowered his voice, his tone slightly menacing, making one’s hairs stand on end.
“…Oh.” Shen Qiuxun yawned again. He wasn’t very concerned with these matters. Truth was, he probably wouldn’t live to see that day anyway. His hands reeked of medicine; he turned and headed for the bathroom to wash them with some water.
As he reached the doorway, the man called out from behind him. He looked back.
Half of Xu Zhiyuan’s body sat in shadow. His hands were bridged, his chin resting on the back of his hands. His grass-green eyes watched him quietly, his expression holding a hint of solemnity, as if shedding the sloppy, unserious shell he usually used to disguise himself. His voice was deep, carrying a certain seriousness in the quiet environment: “I will protect you.”
An ordinary Beta would find it very hard to survive amidst the flames of war. If not for his help, what would he do?
Shen Qiuxun raised an eyebrow, showing little reaction to his words. He shook his hand lazily. “Right, that robot repair needed quite a few rare materials. How did you manage to get them?”
Xu Zhiyuan let go of his hands, leaning sideways against the chair back, his whole body returning to the lamplight. “Robot?”
“Oh, wasn’t it a few days ago when we went to another planet? Picked it up at a Second-hand Market… good luck, I guess.”
Hm, that didn’t sound like a lie.
Shen Qiuxun nodded, dismissing the suspicion in his heart.
Xu Zhiyuan watched his retreating figure, his fingertips tapping lightly. The wound on his back throbbed and burned, yet only made him crave the touch of those cool fingertips even more.
